On June, 1 the concert at the Grand hall of the Shostakovich St Petersburg Academic Philharmonia concluded the XIX International Musical Olympus Festival.

Five thousand people attended this unique for St Petersburg musical festival. On May, 22 - June, 1 the audience got acquainted with the best young musicians in the world. This year, Musical Olympus gathered 35 performers from 18 countries.

“The Festival was a success this year, symbolically opened by the concert and masterclass of the famous musician Andras Schiff, member of the honorary committee of the Musical Olympus festival,” said President of the Musical Olympus Foundation Irina Nikitina.

Traditionally the festival programme consisted of seven concerts on the best stages of St Petersburg: Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Hermitage Theatre, Cappella, and Philharmonia. St Petersburg audience met with usual admiration and ovations all festival participants who made every concert of the Festival outstanding and memorable.

The opening concert will surely be remembered by the emotional performance of Marc Bouchkov (violin, Belgium). The audience duly appreciated the mastery of conductor Risto Joost (Estonia), striking vocal skills of Seyoung Park(soprano, Republic of Korea) and the Audience Award winnerbass-baritone Ao Li (China), as well as virtuoso performances of the violin players: lyrical Nikki Chooiand con fuoco Fedor Roudine.

Accomplished pianist Boris Giltburg (Israel) is already known and loved in St Petersburg, he participated in the festival in 2004. The audience was touched by the interpretation of young Rémi Geniet(piano, France), and no doubt impressed with the very original real musical performance of percussionist Alexandre Esperet from France.

Traditionally the brightest participants of the festival in St Petersburg will be invited to perform at the Musical Olympus concerts in other cities: Zurich (Switzerland), Berlin (Germany), and New York (USA).

“We are happy that the festival has its audience, cultivated and understanding. This year the audience chose the best of the best, remarkable singer Ao Li. And already now we start preparations for the big anniversary — the XX International Musical Olympus Festival that will take place next year,” said Irina Nikitina.

The social programme of the festival featured the concert of classical music at the Savina elderly care facility for veterans of the stage. The concerts were also organized at the detention facility No.1 Kresty and children hospice. The concerts featured the festival participants and students of the school-lyceum of the Rimsky-Korsakov St Petersburg Conservatory.